Get Out (2017) : Movie Plot Ending Explained

Get Out is a bizarre movie about the events that happen to a guy named Chris who goes to visit his girlfriend’s parents over a weekend. The film is brought to us by Jordan Peele of the Key and Peele fame. Peele is a funny guy and hence it is a pleasant surprise to watch a thriller coming from him. Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams star in the lead roles. The plot is crazy and is unexpected for the most part. Do give it a watch. It’s interesting and yeah, explanation and spoilers ahead.

Get Out Plot Explanation

I’m going the usual route of laying the plot out linearly. While this kills the storytelling, it makes for a good explanation.

The Armitage Family. Their Secret.

Here’s the key element of the story. This family, for decades, has been “supplying” African-American bodies for the old and dying white folks in their cult. Yeah, that’s right – supplying. Grandpa Armitage has found a way to use neurosurgery and hypnosis to move the consciousness of one person into another’s body. There is a mention of how grandpa was beaten by Jesse Owens in the qualifying round for the Berlin Olympics in 1936. Jesse was black and this probably began the fascination for the African-American physique for the Armitage family. What is also important here is that even though the Armitage family admire the cliche of the athletically built black people, they do not care for their minds. The family simply consider the African-American people to be a good vessel to be used by another mind – the mind of a white person. The procedure is done in three major steps.

1) The victim is first hypnotized. In this process, the consciousness of the person is sent to the “sunken space”. This is represented by the dark void. When the consciousness is sent here, the mind can now take on another person’s consciousness. However, the original consciousness stays in a state of limbo. In darkness, imprisoned.
2) The victim is explained how the process is going to take effect. This apparently makes it easier for the shift of consciousness to happen.
3) There is a partial brain transplant that needs to happen from the source to the victim’s head. This final step completes the transfer.

Rose’s mom is a hypnotist and her dad is a neurosurgeon.

Why are people doing this consciousness transplant thing – The Coagula procedure?

Well there are two things here:
1) This group of people who want to transplant their consciousness are old/sick and are likely to die in a couple of years.
2) They also believe in the cliched superiority of the African-American build. More athletic. Also, long and strong. You can notice this when people are constantly commending Chris for being black. They don’t care for black folks, they just want their bodies.

What’s up with Rose?

While Rose is shown to be in a very honest inter-race relationship with Chris, she is just luring him to come to her place. She’s in on the whole thing and intends to “supply” Chris to her people. Also, this is not her first time. She has already done this to many before including the gardener Walter and their house help Georgina.

Who are Walter and Georgina?

Grandpa Armitage has had his consciousness transferred to the black guy who is referred to as Walter. It is later revealed that Rose has lured him into this household. Given that Grandpa Armitage was growing old, he moves into Walter to sustain his life. Similarly, Grandma Armitage has moved into Georgina. Again, it is revealed later that Rose has lured Georgina into this household.

Who is Andre Hayworth and Logan?

Well, the movie opens with Andre. He’s the dude who gets kidnapped by a guy in a mask. The guy in the mask is Rose’s brother (revealed later on). Andre’s taken through the mind wipe process. We see him later on as Logan King who is married to an old white lady. Logan King is presumably her husband whose consciousness has now occupied Andre’s body.

Now that we have the critical questions answered, let’s do a quick run through the plot. Chris thinks he’s in an honest relationship with Rose. She’s someone who’s hunting for suitably built black guys and lures them to her house. Chris, unaware, goes to her house to meet her parents. What initially appears to be a warm family who are not racist, slowly begin to drop hints of racism. Later in the evening, Rose’s brother joins for dinner. He’s more hostile compared to the rest. Rose continues with her act and says how she’s embarrassed. Chris keeps in touch with his friend Rod who is with the TSA.

Chris notices Walter and Georgina who are helpers in the house. He finds them to be a little odd in their behaviour. Given Chris has a smoking habit that he plans on quitting, Rose’s dad suggests hypnotherapy to get rid of the habit. He mentions how Rose’s mom is terrific at it. Chris declines the offer. At this time they also talk about how Chris’ mom had died from a hit and run. They mention about Rose’s grandfather’s party. This party is actually the grouping to bid for Chris’ body. We’ll get to that in a bit.

Later at night Chris is unable to sleep and heads out for a smoke. Walter runs at him and turns. Walter is doing his night run workout. Looks like Grandpa Armitage is really enjoying his new body. Chris goes back in and enters a conversation with Rose’s mom. She taps into his emotional moment of his mother dying to hypnotize him. This is the scene where he is dropped into the sunken space. She uses the spoon and cup as the physical trigger.

What happened to Chris’ mother?

Well, when he was young, his mother was involved in an accident. Some car hit her and made the run for it. Chris was at home watching TV. He knew that it was getting late and his mother hadn’t returned. But he doesn’t call 911 because he was afraid he’d make his fear a reality. He just continues to watch TV. Eventually, his mom is found dead. But the important thing here is that autopsy shows his mother was not killed instantly. She was lying there in the cold, alive. No one came to help because no one called for help. Because Chris doesn’t dial 911, his mother dies.

Chris wakes up from the sunken space thinking it was a dream. But it wasn’t. The get-together begins. All of the friends begin to show up, in black cars (they really love black). They meet Chris with a certain awkward fascination. The conversations include the following.
– The love for Tiger Woods
– Is “it” better? – this is asked by a lady who’s clearly only interested in how Chris is endowed down below.
– Black is in fashion

Chris notices another black guy. When he goes to say hi, this black guy turns around. It is Andre but introduces himself as Logan and talks all funny. Chris holds out a fist, Logan shakes it. Chris is thrown off. After this, Chris meets a Jim Hudson, a blind art dealer.

Chris notices that his phone has been disconnected and has run out of battery. He suspects Georgina. He tells Rose about it. Later, Georgina shows up to apologize. For a moment her true consciousness surfaces. That is why she’s crying while she’s smiling. Chris tells his friend Rod that he may have been hypnotized as he doesn’t seem to like smoking anymore. Rod suspects something weird to be happening in that house.

What is the relevance of the Flash?

Later, Chris takes a picture of Logan. The flash from the phone makes Andre’s consciousness come forward. Andre realizes what is going to happen to Chris and grabs him and asks him to get out. The rest of the family explain how Logan has had a seizure and is going to be fine. Basically, they push Andre’s consciousness back into the sunken space.

Game of Bingo?

Rose whisks Chris away for a walk. Under the pretext of playing Bingo, the gathering has an auction for Chris. They do this in mute. Jim Hudson wins. How is a blind guy participating in a mute auction is beyond me? Please drop a comment about this. EDIT: So yeah, there is an assistant who whispers into the blind guy’s ears. He’s got help. Thanks for pointing that out in the comments dude man.

This means he gets to transfer his consciousness into Chris. Jim wants Chris’ ability to see. Chris is a photographer. Jim also wants Chris artistic vision.

Chris shares Logan’s picture with Rod. Rod identifies him to be Andre. Chris freaks out and quickly asks Rose to pack up. He wants to leave. In the store room, Chris finds a box with a whole bunch of photographs. Photographs of Rose with other black folks. This includes Walter and Georgina. As Chris gets to the door, the rest of the Armitage family approaches. The main door is locked and Chris yells for the keys. Rose finally discloses that she is in on the whole thing. Rose’s mom uses the cup and spoon to send Chris to the sunken space. They take him and tie him in the basement.

Get Out Ending Explained : The Mind Procedure

In the basement, Chris is shown a video of Grandpa Armitage explaining the Coagula procedure. Jim explains how he will be taking over Chris’ body. This is phase 2, basically. Then a cup and spoon appears and knocks Chris back into the sunken space. Meanwhile, Rod is unable to reach Chris and goes to the cops. They laugh at him because his theory of mind control appears silly. Rod calls Chris’ phone and Rose picks up. He realizes Rose is lying about Chris leaving in a cab. He tries to record the conversation but Rose turns the conversation on Rod. She says Rod has always wanted her. Rod hangs up.

Chris uses the cotton from the chair he’s tied to to stuff his ears. This way he will not hear the tea cup and spoon clank. He acts to fall unconscious. Meanwhile, Rose’s dad is preparing for the partial brain transplant. Jim is being prepped for the procedure. Rose’s brother comes to get Chris. Chris attacks him and knocks him bloody unconscious. Then he proceeds to stab and kill Rose’s dad. He encounters Rose’s mom, he kills her too. Rose’s brother is the next to die. Rose is looking for her next black victim. Chris leaves in a car but knocks Georgina by mistake. He remembers how his mother died from a hit and run. So he picks up Georgina and puts her in the car. Georgina’s body is merely a host for Rose’s grandma. She gets up and attacks Chris. The car crashes into a tree. Georgina dies.

Rose follows Chris and tries to shoot him. Walter, whose body is a host for Rose’s grandpa chases and tackles Chris down. Chris remembers the flashlight and pulls his phone out and flashes Walter. This brings Walter’s original consciousness forward. Walter tricks Rose into giving him the gun. Walter shoots Rose and then he puts a bullet into his own head. Walter does this to end his suffering, suffering of living in the sunken space. Chris goes up to a dying Rose. She tries to trick him by claiming she loves him. Chris begins to choke her to death.

Rose beings to smile. This could either be because her racist feelings that black people are violent come forward. She feels validated as she’s being choked. It could also be because even as she dies, she has a sense of superiority. A superiority that states how the African-American folks are mere vessels.

Chris can’t do it. He stops. This again could be because he’s not a killer. His kills were purely his survival instincts kicking in. Rose is already shot and is dying. Besides, he did love Rose and is unable to kill her. A cop car approaches. Rose calls out to the cops hoping for help. It turns out to be Rod. Rod has traced Chris’ phone to his location. They leave Rose to die on the road and they leave. The film ends.

There is a lot of open questions around this. Rod simply says that the situation is handled. Perhaps he has found a way to be an alibi for Chris so that he is kept out of all the murder that has been committed. But with Chris’ prints all over items in the house, it would be very difficult for him to get away scot-free. Then again, there is a lot more shit that will be uncovered if they raid the Armitage household. Eg: Missing Andre will be found to be living as Logan. Other missing black people will be found too. So yeah, this would be one heck of a case for the cops to handle. They were laughing at Rod right? Who’s laughing now!